


hooked on you (like a candy cane)

by orphan_account



Category: NCT (Band), SuperM (Korea Band), WayV (Band)
Genre: Christmas, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:53:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21954688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: “Fucking mistletoe,” he mumbled, glaring at the bouquet of leaves and white berries wrapped in a crimson red ribbon hanging upside down from a lamppost in the middle of a busy street.
Relationships: Mark Lee/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Comments: 9
Kudos: 156





	hooked on you (like a candy cane)

**Author's Note:**

> for [char](https://www.twitter.com/minhotline)!
> 
> a little late, but happy holidays and merry christmas, lumark nation!
> 
> PS: the title's a lyric from tiffany's peppermint (thank you, [♡](https://www.twitter.com/taengrxss))

** 9:56 PM **

He rolled his eyes in annoyance, releasing a small cloud of smoke as he puffed out a heavy breath.

“ _Fucking mistletoe_ ,” he mumbled, glaring at the bouquet of leaves and white berries wrapped in a crimson red ribbon hanging upside down from a lamppost in the middle of a busy street.

The sickly-sweet smell of cinnamon-flavored baked goods wafted through the atmosphere, distracting him from the thought and possibility of being the only grumpy person in the crowd.

His eyes wandered around his surroundings, glazing over the happy faces of the people passing by and skimming through the countless pairs of hands tightly clasped together.

The sight only made him nauseous.

There was a sick feeling in his gut, a whirlpool of emotions coming at him all at once, enough to make him clench his hands into tight fists.

He shut his eyes briefly to tune out everything before opening them again as he crossed his arms across his chest, feeling the frosty air bite into the fibers of his over-sized faux wool jacket.

“Not a fan of the cold?”

He turned his head to the direction of the voice, shifting his glare to a man dressed in a plain white shirt under a long red coat and blue denim pants who was currently holding up two instant hot packs in each hand while smiling sheepishly at him.

“I’m Canadian,” he replied in a calm, even tone, fixing a cold gaze at the man approaching him. “What took you so long?”

The man titled his head innocently to the side and pouted. “Hi Canadian, I’m Yukhei.”

He could only gape in disbelief.

They had been the best of friends since high school and yet he would still get surprised at how unbelievable his friend’s sense of humor was.

Yukhei, however, only laughed at him, breath hinting vaguely of sugary peppermint, and handed two of the hot packs that he was holding in his right hand. “I got you these. Plus, it’s not my fault you decided not to go up there on your own, Mark.”

Mark narrowed his eyes at him, briefly contemplating why he thought all of this was a good idea in the first place.

Their fraternity, _Alpha Epsilon Phi_ , would always hold an annual celebration for students who had nowhere to go during Christmas, and Mark, despite spending every holiday season by himself for the past three years, never once attended it until now—just so Yukhei would stop calling him about it in the middle of the night.

He snatched the hot packs from the man’s extended hand, putting them in the pockets of his jacket.

Yukhei only huffed out a soft chuckle, looping his left arm around Mark’s shoulder as he ushered him inside a well-lit condominium tower.

He eased into his friend’s touch, trying his best not to squirm away from Yukhei as they walk the distance from the square all the way up to the main lobby in silence. Mark had never been one for public displays of physical intimacy—not with his exes, not with his friends, not with anyone—but that was before Yukhei decided to permanently attach himself to Mark on the day they met.

He, on the other hand, got attached to Yukhei for an entirely different reason.

“Why were you so mad at that mistletoe earlier?” Yukhei asked once they were inside the massive golden elevator. The other pressed the ‘ **R** ’ button on the uppermost right-hand part of the control panel as he looked over at him.

Mark glanced up, meeting his friend’s eyes. “What?”

“On the street light outside.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he answered with a shrug and faced front, getting a good whiff of the lingering smell of peppermint candy on Yukhei.

He smelled exactly like Mark’s childhood.

“Sure, man,” Yukhei replied while slowly nodding his head, voice laced with amusement.

Mark opened his mouth, ready with twenty different ways to get the last word, but was interrupted when the elevator gave out a soft _ping!_ as its metal doors opened, revealing a rather... complete opposite of what Mark was expecting.

There were at least a hundred people lounging comfortably on make-shift couches with space heaters placed at the center of each booth to keep them warm while food and drinks were enclosed in large glass vending machine-style dispensers near the massive wall where a neutral grey projector screen was attached.

It looked like an open theater.

“Wow,” he heard Yukhei say under his breath. Mark peered at the other, watching his friend’s face light up in awe at the scenery before them.

He looked beautiful... and Mark was pretty sure the thumping noise that he was hearing was his own heartbeat.

Yukhei caught his gaze and grinned broadly with teeth. “It’s not so bad now, huh?”

The question temporarily snapped him out of his reverie, prompting him to shake his head and look away. “Gloating’s really not a good color on you.”

His friend surprisingly said nothing in response, tugging at his arm instead and motioning at the empty booth near the food dispensers. Mark couldn’t think of anything else to do except follow the other’s lead, trailing closely behind Yukhei as he kept his eyes down.

Before they could even sit, however, someone called Yukhei’s name from somewhere across the booth they were about to occupy.

Both of them looked around, trying to find the source of the voice, until they spotted Kun, Ten, Winwin, Dejun, Kunhang, and Yangyang at a dark corner near the emergency exit with their arms up, waving furiously at them and mouthing for them to go to their booth.

“Go,” he told him, nodding at the group. “I’ll be here when you need me.”

Yukhei turned to him with a raised brow. “You sure?”

“Dude, honestly. It’s fine,” Mark replied with a reassuring smile to which his friend only smirked teasingly and asked, “Promise?”

Mark fixed him a stern look, suppressing his smile as he pushed him gently. “Go.”

** 10:47 PM **

The thing about being best friends and having unrequited feelings with someone as outgoing as Yukhei, _Mark had long since thought to himself_ , was that people like Yukhei had the ability to make someone realize how lonely it can be without them.

...and that feeling was starting to annoy the hell out of him.

He sneaked another peek at Yukhei, watching the way the other tossed his head back as he laughed with his friends. It was like witnessing a mini family reunion, he observed, except for the fact that they see each other every single day.

Mark turned his attention to the projector screen scrunching his nose as _Scott Pilgrim vs. the World_ played audibly from the speakers, before downing his second bottle of mule beer and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

A bold move, considering he had zero alcohol tolerance.

“So,” someone said closely behind him, almost making him jump in surprise when a hand suddenly touched his shoulder.

Jaehyun and Johnny chuckled in unison and sat on either side of him, each giving him a bottle of whatever they had in hand: a Sprite and a Heineken.

Mark took them both, murmuring a small “thanks” as he swiftly opened the beer’s bottle cap with his teeth, chugging it down in the same way he finished his other drinks.

“Slow down, champ,” Johnny said, patting his back. The man glanced to where Mark was looking at a few minutes ago. “Yukhei, huh? Have you finally figured it out?”

Mark gulped the last drops of his drink, ignoring the man to his right, and looked over to Jaehyun instead for an answer. “Figured _what_ out?”

“Nothing.” Jaehyun flashed his teeth, clinking the bottle of Sprite that he was holding in his left hand with Mark’s Heineken before holding it up in a toast. “Merry Christmas, Mark, glad to know you’re still dense.”

“Merry Christmas, bro.” Johnny stood up, motioning for Jaehyun to follow him, before casting a knowing look at Mark . “Don’t sweat it. I’m sure you’re about to figure it out.”

With a final wink and a cryptic smile, the two moved to another booth, leaving Mark alone with his unopened bottle of Sprite. He stared at it for a moment, wondering what the hell the two were talking about, until he got distracted by the sight of Yukhei approaching him.

“You okay?”

Mark nodded. “Just collecting myself.”

“Here,” Yukhei said, taking out two pieces of Bobs Sweet Stripes from his pocket and handing them to him before sitting next to Mark.

“Thank you.”

Yukhei pulled him closer, placing a hand on the back of his head, and lazily carded his fingers through Mark’s hair.

Mark swallowed and zeroed back into the movie, absentmindedly watching Brie Larson perform Metric’s Black Sheep as he trumped down the heat that was now creeping up his neck.

Johnny’s words echoed in his mind in a seemingly endless loop, taunting him over and over again, making him wonder if he wasn’t as subtle as he had thought.

He risked a glance at the other, trying his best not to get caught, only to find that other was already staring at him. Mark could only stare back, heart beating wildly against his chest as Yukhei’s eyes lured him in.

He still can’t place his finger on it, but there was always this fond look on Yukhei’s face that only seemed to appear every time their eyes met.

Mark couldn’t even describe it. It was a mix of delight, admiration, and—oh.

_Oh._

** 11:53 PM **

“Holidays,” he blurted out of the blue as he tore his eyes away from Yukhei.

“What?”

“You asked me why I was so mad at the mistletoe on the lamppost,” Mark clarified, reverting his attention back to the movie. “I’m just not a fan of the holidays.”

There was a pregnant pause, deafening even with all the noise around them. He could feel the other’s eyes boring holes through his skull, seemingly trying to figure him out. “Do you want to tell me why?”

He pursed his lips into a flat line and shook his head, eyes still glued at the projector screen.

“Hey,” Yukhei said and placed a finger under Mark’s chin, applying just enough pressure to tilt Mark’s head and face him. “I’m always here, okay?”

Mark only nodded.

A snowflake landed on the other’s head, making both of them look up as the sound of the bells from the nearby church rang, indicating that it was already midnight.

Yukhei smiled warmly at him. “Merry Christmas, Mark.”

“Merry Christmas, Yukhei,” he replied, not entirely looking at Yukhei as he brushed the scattered flakes of snow from the other’s hair. “I’d totally kiss you right now, but we’re not under a mistletoe.”

The smile on Yukhei’s lips disappeared as he tensed visibly.

Mark tensed as well, internally cursing himself at what just came out of his mouth. He dropped his hand to his lap, feeling a twisted sensation in his stomach mock him.

“I shou—”

“Funny you should say that,” Yukhei suddenly beamed, prompting Mark to look up again. The other took something from the inside pocket of his coat and held it above them.

_A mistletoe plushie._

Yukhei raised a brow at him, grinning as he shook the toy. “Does this one count?”

Mark stared at the other in disbelief once again, trying to process what just happened. For some reason, he wanted to pinch himself, wondering if he accidentally slipped into an alternate reality within the ten seconds that Yukhei stayed silent.

“I’m still waiting here, Mark,” the other said, still holding the mistletoe on top of their heads. “Or do you want me to kiss you instead?”

Mark huffed out a laugh and reached up, taking Yukhei’s face with both hands before pulling him down and connecting their lips. The other didn’t waste any more time and kissed him back, taking over the kiss as his hands traveled down to Mark’s hips, grounding him in his place.

They broke apart after a moment, foreheads leaning against each other’s as they gasped for breath. Yukhei raised a hand and brushed his thumb on Mark’s cheek. “Changed your mind about the holidays yet?”

Mark laughed and buried his head on the curve of the other’s shoulder.

“Maybe they weren’t so bad after all.”

**Author's Note:**

> hey, hmu on [twitter](https://www.twitter.com/yukhmark)! (♡˙︶˙♡)


End file.
